Aerial bomb



June 18, 1946. F. D. MAYES AERIAL BOMB Filed Dec. 30,1941 v PatentedJune 18, 1946 AERIAL BOMB Frank D. Mayes, Atlanta, Ga.

Application December 30, 1941, Serial-N0. 424,989

2 Claims.

Generically this invention relates to bombs or other velocity drivenmissiles but it is more particularly directed to the type adapted to becarried by and dropped from airplanes, or other aerial craft.

One of the principal objects of this invention is the provision of anaerial bomb designed to burst at a predetermined height with respect tothe ground or other -contacting surface for maximum eii'ect on property,life, and/or troops in the open, and to prevent its being buried beforeexploding.

An important object of this invention is the provision of a bomb of thischaracter adapted to be easily carried and discharged from an airplane,having means to eiiect its explosion at a predetermined height withrespect to its landl ing surface and eliminating the necessity for timefuses or other time setting detonating mechanisms.

A further important object of this invention is the provision of a bombof this character having a, hinged plunger adapted to be normallycarried at right angles to the bomb portion and mea-ns for automaticallylocking said plunger in alignment with the bomb portion uponsimultaneous release of the bomb and plunger holding means.

Another important object of this invention is the provision of a bomb ofthis character with a longitudinally extending circuit closing triggerplunger mechanism and/or interchangeable means carried by the free endof the plunger adapted upon contact with the surface of the.

ground or body of water to cause said plunger to close a circuit andeiect explosion of the bomb at a predetermined height with respect toits landing surface.

With these and other objects in View, which will become apparent as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the construction,combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully describedand claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which likecharacters of reference indicate like parts throughout the severalfigures, of which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an airplane showing my improved bombcarried in parallelism with said plane and means shown in vdottedloutline for releasing said bomb.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary View of Fig. 1 showing a slightly modified formof bomb supported in vertical position and the plunger portion at rightangles to said bomb and means for simultaneously releasing the Abomb andplunger portions.

Fig. 3 is a vertical elevational view of the bomb arranged as shown inFig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical sectional view of the plungerand electrically controlled mechanism with certain parts in elevation.

Fig. 5 is a View taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. G is a detail View of the bomb supporting and releasing barmechanism and portion of the fuselage in section.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatical View of the wiring diagram with the contactplates in disassembled relation.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary View of the lower or free end of the plungershowing one formrof the ground or other surface contacting element.

In the illustrated embodiment characterizing this invention there isshown an airplane A and a bomb B adapted to be carried by said airplaneand dropped therefrom. The bomb B comprises a body portion I, in thepresent instance terminating at its upper and lower ends insubstantially conical shaped ends 2 and 3, respectively, the lower endof section 3 being formed with or suitably attached thereto acylindrical sectionl d, having at its free end a contact plate 5I of agreater diameter than section 4.

suitably formed or Secured to the outer surface of body I are two or, ifdesired, four equi-spaced substantially triangular blade or vaneelements 5, the arcuate upper curved ends 'I of which, in the presentinstance, extend outwardly to points slightly above the upper end ofportion 2 and which elements cause the bomb to vertically descend in astraight line when released from the airplane, as will be fullydescribed as the description proceeds. An attaching ring 8 is suitablysecured to the upper end of conical portion 2.

A plunger trigger mechanism C comprises'a tubular casing 9 formed at itsupper end with a complemental contact plate lil of a diametercorresponding to that of plate 5, to which it is attached at one edge byhinge structure Il, Riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the undersurface of plate lo opposite to hinge I I `is a clamp spring member I2formed with an inclined or cam end I3 and a clamping edge I4 adapted toengage over plate 5 when the plates are brought together, so as toautomatically and firmly lock the plunger structure C to and in fixedalignment with respect to section i of said bomb l.'

Telescopically mounted within tubular section 9 is a plunger I5, saidplunger extending to a point spaced from plate I0 and beyond the lowerend of casing 9 a predetermined distance, terminating in a rounded endelement I5 threadedly or otherwise secured to its free end. Said elementI6 is adapted to contact the ground or other object on which the bombmay land to operate the plunger, as will be directly more fullydescribed. While different types of end elements I5 may be used, I havepreferably shown said element I6 as interchangeable With the vacuumcuplike member I6a preferably used when the bomb is dropped on thesurface of a body of water.

Mounted on section S spaced from its upper end and suitably securedthereto is a plate I'I, preferably formed of insulating material though,if desired, it may be constructed of other material suitably insulated.Mounted in said plate at opposite edges are the contacts I 8, to thebinding posts I3' of which are connected the ends of electric wires I9constituting the insulated cable 20 which extends through aperture 2| inthe lower end of section 3, with the other ends of wires I9 suitablyconnected to battery 22 in circuit with a detonating mechanism 23 infiring contact with the bomb charge 24.

Mounted below said plate I'I on sleeve 25 is a complemental plate ofinsulated material 26 similar to plate I'I. Said sleeve 25 is providedwith a pair of oppositely positioned contacts 21 connected by anelectrical conductor 23, said contacts 21 adapted to engage contacts I8to complete the electrical circuit from battery 22, through conductor30, contacts I8, 2l, conductor 28, contacts 21 and I8 and conductor 3Iback to battery 22 to effect firing of the charge 24, when said contactsI8 and 21 are brought into engagement by the upward movement of plungerI5, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

Sleeve 25 is movable on section 9 and is formed with opposite openings32 corresponding to the dimensions of bar 33 adapted to extendtherethrough and also through slots 34 in member 9. The ends of said bar33 project beyond the opposite sides of sleeve 25 and are formed withopenings 35, in which are suitably secured one end of springs 36, theother end of said springs being secured to eyelet screws 3'! threadedlyor otherwise secured to opposite sides of member 9 adjacent its lowerend. Said springs tend to retract sleeve 25 and maintain plate 26 inseparated relation with respect to plate I1.

When the bomb is released it will, as above described, descendvertically, and when member I 6 or Ita comes in contact with a landingsurface the plunger will be impelled upwardly against the action ofsprings 35, moving plate 26 into meeting relation with plate I 'I andcontacts 2T into engagement with contacts I8, thereby completing thecircuit to effect setting off of the charge, as hereinbefore explained.

In order to carry bomb B when the plunger element is rigidly locked inlongitudinal alignment with the bomb portion, as shown in Fig. l, arelease bar 38 is journaled in bearings 39 suitably mounted in thefuselage D, one end of said bar extending beyond bearing 39 and havingrigidly secured thereto operating release handle 40 and adjacent eachend of said bar suitably keyed or otherwise firmly secured thereto arethe depending hook members 4I adapted to project through openings 42 inbottom 43 of said fuselage D. One of said hooks is adapted to engage inring 8 and the other under plunger section I5, to secure the bomb inplane carrying position. Movement of the handle 4I] to the positionshown 4 in dotted outline in Fig. 6 simultaneously releases both ends ofsaid bomb and the blades 6, causes said bomb to immediately assume andmaintain a vertical position throughout its descent, as will be clearwithout further discussion.

In connection with Fig. 2, when the body portion I is suitably held invertical position within the fuselage and the hinged plates 5 and I0 areopen, permitting plunger mechanism C to be held by one of the hooks 4Iin horizontal position at right angles to the first mentioned hook andis engaged in opening 44 in ear 45 formed at the edge of blade 6,thereby maintaining the device in position. Movement of handle 4B willeffect simultaneous release of the bomb body I and plunger structure C,at the same time said plunger will drop to perpendicular positioneffecting the automatic engagement of spring I2 over plate 5, therebyfirmly locking the plates 5 and I0. The bomb when landing through theaction of plunger I5 closes the circuit to the detonating mechanism bythe movement of contacts 2l into engagement with contacts I8, therebyeffecting instant bursting of the bomb at a predetermined distance abovethe landing surface, as heretofore described.

From the above it will be apparent that I have designed what may betermed an aerial bomb adapted to be expeditiously carried and releasedfrom an airplane, simple in construction, positive in operation,manufacturable at a reasonable cost, and eiicient for the purposesintended.

While I have described one form of my invention, it is to be understoodthat body I may be varied according to the size and weight of bombdesired for different specific uses. It is also apparent that instead ofear 45 the opening 44 may be formed directly in the vane if desired.

It is apparent that I have designed a unique extended nose piece orplunger mechanism C, including telescoping sections adapted for relativemovement to close the ring circuit, and by varying the length of theground or other surface contacting member I5 the distance above theground the explosion takes place may be varied as desired. Likewise,while I have shown a simple means for carrying and releasing a bomb froman airplane or other aerial craft, it is to be understood that any wellknown type of means for carrying and releasing a bomb or bombs may beemployed in accordance with the particular requirements.

Although in practice it has been found that the form of the inventionillustrated in the accompanying drawing and referred to in the abovedescription as the preferred embodiment is the most ecient andpractical; yet realizing that the conditions concurrent With theadoption of the invention will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasizethat various minor changes in details of construction, proportion andarrangement of parts, maybe resorted to Within the scope of the appendedclaims without departing from or sacricing any of the principles of thisinvention.

Having thus described myY invention, what I desire protected by LettersPatent is as set forth in the following claims;

1. An airplane bomb of the character described containing a firingcharge, a source of electrical energy, and a detonating mechanism incircuit therewith, and including an exterior rigid nose piece structureextending from said bomb comprising a tubular section formedintermediate its length with aligned slots and having mounted thereonspaced from its upper end a fixed contact member, a sleevetelescopically mounted on the tubular section formed at its upper endwith a complemental movable contact member, said contact members beingmounted in said detonating circuit, an impact plunger elementtelescopically extending within said tubular section and having attachedto its free end an impact surface contacting cap member, anchor meansextending through said slots and plunger resiliently connected to saidtubular section normally maintaining said contact members separated,whereby contact of the plunger with an impact surface effects movementof said movable contact member into engagement with said fixed contactmember closing the detonating circuit and causing explosion of the bomba predetermined distance above said impact surface.

2. An airplane bomb of the character described containing a firingcharge, a source of electrical energy, and a detonating mechanism incircuit therewith, and including an exterior rigid nose 20 piecestructure extending from said bombcomprising a tubular section formedintermediate its length with aligned slots and having mounted thereonspaced from its upper end a xed contact member, a sleeve telescopicallymounted on the tubular section formed at its upper end with acomplemental movable contact member, said contact members being mountedin said detonating circuit, an impact plunger element telescopicallyextending within said tubular section, anchor means extending throughsaid slots and plunger resiliently connected to said tubular sectionnormally maintaining said contact members separated, whereby contact ofthe plunger with an impact surface effects movement of said movablecontact member into engagement with said xed contact member closing thedetonating circuit and causing explosion of the bomb a. predetermineddistance above said impact surface.

FRANK D. MAYES.

